Chiefs might have found temporary replacement for Patrick Mahomes in former Bears QB Justin Fields: report

Former Bears first-round pick Justin Fields is expected to get an intriguing opportunity with the Chiefs as he continues to trying to prove himself as a starting quarterback. The Jets were finalizing a trade Monday to send him to Kansas City for a 2027 sixth-round pick, ESPN reported, and he could get a chance to start as Patrick Mahomes works back from a torn ACL.

As the team waits for Mahomes, who is in question for the start of the season, Fields will be by far their most experienced quarterback with 53 starts in five seasons. The Chiefs’ other quarterbacks are Chris Oladokun (two starts) and Jake Haener (one).

Fields, 27, will be on his third team in three years since the Bears moved on from him to draft Caleb Williams in 2024.

He signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets as a free agent a year ago, but played just nine games due to injury and poor performance. He completed 62.7% of his passes, averaged 139.9 yards per game, threw seven touchdown passes and one interception for an 89.5 passer rating, which was second-highest of his career. He also rushed for 383 yards and four touchdowns.

Former Bears general manager Ryan Pace traded a 2022 first-round pick to the Giants to move up and draft Fields 11th overall in 2021. Successor Ryan Poles then dealt him to the Steelers for a sixth-round pick in 2024, and Fields played decently enough that season to earn a major payday from the Jets.

The Bears bungled Fields’ onboarding as a rookie, and he never turned the corner for them other than becoming one of the most dangerous running quarterbacks in the NFL. He had an 82.3 passer rating and went 10-28 as a starter in three seasons for the Bears.